Taunton police report more heroin overdoses in the city

Sunday

Feb 9, 2014 at 8:15 PMFeb 10, 2014 at 9:45 AM

Marc Larocque Enterprise Staff Writer @Enterprise_Marc

TAUNTON — As a recent spike in drug overdoses persists in Taunton, heroin users in the city are being urged to seek treatment for their addictions and are being warned by police to avoid potentially deadly situations.

The Taunton Police Department sent out a message Sunday morning saying that the recent "overdose epidemic" related to heroin and other drugs in Taunton has continued at an alarming rate, including another fatality and about 10 other overdoses reported through the weekend.

The overdoses over the weekend and last week come in addition to at least 20 that officers responded to in January, including three apparent fatal overdoses, a remarkably high number for the city. Taunton police have linked the recent increase in reported overdoses to a strain of heroin that is much more potent than usual or that has been mixed with the painkilling drug Fentanyl.

"The Police Department wants to take this opportunity to again remind residents of the current overdose epidemic in the community," the Taunton Police said in the Sunday morning message, released through its official Facebook page. "If you or someone you know has a heroin addiction problem, seek help immediately."

The Taunton police statement also warned heroin users that if they are determined to use the drug, they should not take heroin while they are alone.

"If you are using heroin, do not do it unmonitored," the message said. "Our fatalities involved individuals who were alone with no one present to call for medical assistance if needed."

Taunton Police Sgt. Kevin Medas commented on the post, saying the people who suffer overdoses in Taunton are not limited to certain age groups.

"The age range is from teens to 50s," Medas said. "It's very sad for the victims and their worried families."

Medas said on Sunday that another overdose was reported earlier in the day, before an ambulance came and took the man to a hospital.

"It's definitely a situation that we have going on here," Medas said.

One overdose in Taunton took place on Friday at the Cumberland Farms gas station on County Street, according to police. The store manager said she noticed a man parked in a car near the entrance, who was "nodding" off repeatedly, while a woman knocked on his window trying to rouse him.

"He's lucky he was up front, where we could see him, and not around the corner, because he would have died," said the manager, Linda President, who called police.

Other overdoses were reported to Taunton police on Saturday at 301 Cohannet St., 635 Somerset Ave., and 11 Harrison Ave., according to its police log.

The Taunton Police Department's Facebook statement on Sunday quickly spread on social media, garnering nearly 400 comments and being shared by nearly 900 people by late afternoon.

Taunton Police Chief Ed Walsh also said in an interview last week that the numbers of overdoses they are reporting to the public are only the amount of overdoses that come to their attention, as some overdose victims are brought to the hospital without the police being informed.

In January alone, Morton Hospital said 43 patients were brought to the emergency room for drug overdoses. During the entire year of 2013, the hospital saw 129 total overdoses, Masci said. Morton Hospital also serves other surrounding towns, in addition to Taunton.